The Transporter Series
by Karabdai
Summary: It takes time for a relationship to grow. Watch as feelings change and grow among the members of the SGA. Ch4 Letters from Home(Part 1b) - It's mail call on Atlantis, what wonderful tiddings has the team received and just where is Rodney's mail.
1. The Transporter

The Transporter

By Karabdai

Disclaimer: I don't own SGA or SG1. I am just borrowing them and I promise to put them back the way I found them.

Dedication: This story is dedicated to all my great pals at the McWeir yahoo group. You guys were the inspiration that got me writing again. Thanks for all your support and I look forward to many great times ahead for us and for SG Atlantis.

"Rodney, they need you in lab 4."

"All right, all right, I'm going. Elizabeth, I think you might want to come too. It's that gizmo Sgt Baines' team brought back from M3X-684."

Elizabeth glanced up from the console she was looking atand nodded. "Make sure to contact me when Captain Harris' team comes back from their mission. I need to speak to him."

The tech nodded. Elizabeth found Rodney staring at her. "Something wrong Rodney?"

"Nope, nothing, lets go."

Elizabeth and Rodney walked down the hall to Transporter 2 and stepped inside. Usually when someone stepped into a transporter the doors closed, a quick flash of light and you were there. But in this case that was not what happened.

The door closed and then there was a high whiney sound and then a click.

Elizabeth looked at Rodney, "Well that didn't sound normal."

"No, not really. We should have definitely been there by now." They stood in silence for a few seconds to see if there was any change. "I guess we're not going anywhere. Call the control room on your radio, Elizabeth."

She put her hand to her ear and then said, "I put my radio down at the console and forgot to pick it up." she said sheepishly. "What about yours."

"I broke it last night in my lab."

"You fell asleep in the lab again and crushed it didn't you?"

"Whatever, let me take a look at this console."

He went over to look at the console and started pressing buttons.

"Do you think you should be doing that?"

"Am I or am I not the head scientist on this mission? I know what I am doing."

The lights went out with the exception of the lighted panel.

"Rodney!"

"What, I'm working on it!"

"Turn the lights back on!"

"I'm trying; hold on a sec, Rome wasn't built in a day!"

"We're not in Rome!"

"It was a metaphor, hold on a sec and let me work!"

There was a click and the light panel went out.

"That worked well."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not superman!"

"Yeah, I think we covered that. Is there an intercom anywhere?"

"Umm, I think I might have disconnected that."

"Rodney, you should have called the control room first and then start to fiddle with the console. Now we're stuck here and no one knows where we are!"

"I thought I could fix it!" He said in a whiney voice. After a minute of silence on Elizabeth's side, he could imagine the glare she was giving him, he said, "Peter knows we were going to Lab 4 and when we don't show up they will send someone to look for us."

"You better hope so Rodney or I'll get you for this."

Elizabeth slid to the floor with a sigh and leaned her head against the wall. After a few minutes she said in a philosophical voice, "When I walked into the President's office 2 years ago I never ever thought I would end up in a place like this."

"I'm sorry you're stuck with me in this transporter but it is not my fault that Ancient technology sucks and..."

"No, no, that not what I meant. I meant being on Atlantis. When I imagined my life and all the choices I might make I never would have thought of this. I used to travel all over the world back on earth for diplomatic missions for the US. I thought the North Koreans were a tough sell but going to an entirely new galaxy puts those kind of things into perspective."

"I see what you are saying. All the pretty squabbling on earth doesn't really mean too much when you have life sucking aliens after you."

"Do you ever feel overwhelmed, Rodney?"

"No of course not!" he said quickly in a defensive voice.

Elizabeth put her hand out and felt around for his arm and clasped it. "Rodney, this isn't your fault and I don't blame you for this. This Ancient technology is hard to work with and without the gene I can't even run half the stuff in this base; there is no shame in admitting you don't have all the answers and asking for help."

Rodney didn't say anything but he didn't move his arm out of her grasp either. He finally slid down to sit next to her on the floor. After a few minutes his stomach made a noise.

Elizabeth said in a deadpan voice, "Hungry Rodney?"

"Well it's been a few hours since I ate. I normally have a snack around now, I have to keep my blood sugar up or I could into hypoglycemic shock. It's not my fault I have a fast metabolism."

Elizabeth snicker but didn't say anything.

"Dr Weir, McKay, can you hear me?" a tinny voice sounded from the console.

Rodney jumped up and said, "Yeah, we're here Zelenka. Do you know what's wrong with this thing?"

"We just figured out where you were. We are working on it. Give us some time."

"No problem Dr Zelenka, let us know if there is anything we can do." Elizabeth said.

Rodney huffed in indignation and sat back down.

"Something wrong?" Elizabeth asked.

"I hate doing nothing and I hate sitting still."

"I think you might need to stop once in a while and take a rest. I see you over in the control room and the labs at all hours of the day and night. Don't you ever stop to sleep?"

"Of course I do. There is just a lot to do, looking for ZPM signatures on planets we have visited, figuring out the Ancient Technology so we can defend ourselves against the Wraith and also to figure out uses for the technology we can take back to earth to help defend the planet..."

"We have plenty of time for all of that, you have to take care of yourself or you will be no use to anyone."

"People depend on my knowing the answers to those kind of questions; I have to have all the answers."

"No one has all the answers."

"I do. I have to know!"

"Do you think we won't need you if you don't have all the answers?"

There was no noise in the small room except the sound of two people breathing.

"Rodney, you are the smartest guy I know, you don't have to have all the answers at once. We know you will figure it out. You are an important part of this team!"

"Dr Weir, McKay, we're almost finished, one of the crystals burned out and we are taking one from an unused transporter to get this one going. We should be finished in just a few minutes."

There was no talking in the few minutes it took for the lights to come back on and with a flash of light the doors opened. Sheppard stood there with Zelenka and said, "We thought we might have beamed you off the planet. You two ok?"

"Fine, fine. I have to go." With that Rodney took off down the corridor without looking back at anyone.

"Well that's gratitude for you; a thanks would have been nice. Typical McKay." Zelenka bit out.

"What was that all about?" Sheppard asked.

Elizabeth looked down the hall as Rodney strode around the corner and said, "I'm not sure John, I'm not sure."

Fin

AN: This is the first story in a series of one shots that will chronicle the relationship of Drs Weir and McKay. This takes place about 2 years after they get to Atlantis and may contain spoilers for all current episodes as well as SG1's Redemption parts 1 and 2 and also 48 Hours. Thanks to my brother for betaing this piece. He doesn't like the ship but maybe we can convert him.


	2. Concerns and Hospital Beds

Concerns and Hospital Beds

By Karabdai

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Disclaimer: See first part...

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Another day on Atlantis had dawned. Today the team was off to M4P-866; the MALP had detected high energy readings and Rodney was positive they had found another much sought after ZPM device. Earlier last year they had found 2 partially depleted ZPMs that let them contact Stargate Command once every 6 weeks. They had sent one to Earth for further study so that meant every other time they could send mail and care packages back and forth with their regularly scheduled radio check ins; this had made life a bit easier for all the inhabitants of Atlantis.

The team was scheduled for a briefing in 5 minutes and then departure in one hour. John and Teyla wondered in a few minutes before the meeting was supposed start.

Teyla smiled at Elizabeth and mouthed, "We need to talk later." And nodded at John. Elizabeth smiled back and nodded. John nodded in greeting at Elizabeth not noticing Teyla's communication with her and sat next to Teyla.

"How's it going Elizabeth?"

"Good Major, just so you know I am still waiting for your last two mission reports."

John cringed, slid low in his chair and muttered, "Yes, ma'am."

Teyla threw a wicked grin at Elizabeth and snickered at John. "Are you running behind on your reports again?"

"Well, I wouldn't be if I wasn't so distracted."

"Really, Major, and why might you be distracted?" Elizabeth asked with a grin.

"Nothing, nothing, you'll have the reports on your desk by tomorrow afternoon. I'll do them tonight when we get back."

"Don't let me cramp your style, John." Elizabeth said.

About this time Ford and Rodney had wondered in. Rodney sat as far away from Elizabeth as possible and still be at the same table.

"Good morning, Lieutenant, Rodney."

Ford smiled and nodded. "Morning ma'am."

Rodney just grunted into the coffee cup that he had brought with him.

Elizabeth shook her head and looked over at John. "Major, is your team ready for the mission?"

"Yes ma'am. Rodney has gotten the coordinates for the energy signature; he said there seemed to be no signs of human habitation according to the MALP and Teyla confirmed she had never been in contact with anyone from this world. "

"How long do you think it will take to get to the coordinates, investigate the energy signature and get back home?"

The team looked at Rodney and he looked up from his coffee and papers. "What, do I look like Big Ben, we'll know when we get there." He snarled.

John looked at him funny. "It should take about six to eight hours based on previous missions with similar parameters. We should be back in time for dinner."

Elizabeth nodded and glanced at Rodney again. "Ok, dismissed. I'll see you in an hour at the gate. Rodney, can I talk to you for a second."

"Actually Elizabeth, I have a lot to do before we leave. Can it wait?"

"Yes, but I need to talk to you when you get back from offworld. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" he said sarcastically and took off out of the room.

Elizabeth was upset by his attitude; before the incident in the transporter Rodney and her were friends. Besides Teyla, he was the one that she spoke with the most and spent the most time with; she definitely needed to speak with him when they got back.

She went back to her office and worked on paperwork until it was time to meet the team in the control room. John, Teyla and Ford came in about 10 minutes before they were scheduled to leave.

"Where's Rodney?"

"He was leaving the locker room as we went in and then I think he went to his lab."

"Has he seemed off to you, John?"

"He has seemed quieter. He hasn't harassed me in weeks; he gives the minimal responses and always says he has something in his lab to do."

"I'll talk to him when you all get back." John nodded.

Rodney strolled in just before they were about to leave. H nodded to John and ignored the rest as they waited for Elizabeth to give them a go for the mission.

Elizabeth looked at him and shook her head. "Dial it up."

She looked at John, "Be careful out there and we'll see you in 8 hrs. If we don't hear from you in 10 hrs we'll send someone after you. Standard procedure."

John nodded, "We won't need it. See you soon."

The team filed out of the control room and as Rodney walked by she grabbed his arm. He stopped and looked at her.

"Remember, when you get back?"

He nodded and followed the rest of the team through the wormhole.

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Elizabeth sat in her office staring off into space. Time seemed to pass slowly when Rodney's team was gone; other teams went offworld and time seemed to flow just fine. It was probably because most of her friends were on that team and she knew she couldn't look forward to any of them stopping by for a chat. Paperwork was so boring.

It had been three weeks since the transporter incident. Elizabeth had been watching her top team during that time looking for signs of stress. After speaking with Rodney she was worried about their health and safety.

Lt Ford seemed to be handling there prolonged stay on Atlantis pretty well. He appeared happy and was known for playing practical jokes on the more unwary of the group. Once in a while she detected the stress they were all under but in general she saw nothing to worry overmuch about.

As for Teyla and Sheppard the thought of that caused her to smile. Since they had come to Atlantis she had noticed small looks and touches on both sides of that relationship; in the last month it seemed that the two of them had been caught talking and laughing in a few corners. She would ask Teyla about that the next time they got together for one of their little chats. It seemed from Teyla's signal at the meeting earlier they needed to have one soon.

The two women had become great friends over the last two years and had developed a mutual respect that came with being strong women with leadership roles. They had exchanged stories about their lives; she had told Teyla about Simon and her conflict in that area and Teyla had shared some of her more humorous experiences with the men of her village. She also counted on Teyla to let her know how the team was fairing. She always let Elizabeth know (where as John wouldn't) when they needed some time off. Teyla still missed her people but she managed to make it to the mainland once every two weeks or so, but she seemed happy to be on Atlantis and going on missions.

John caused her much more worry. He took all the stress and really internalized it. They had lost a few members of the expedition over the last 2 years and he had personally seen to each of their funeral arrangements and letters to their families. He never talked to her about what he was feeling when things like that happened but she hoped he talked to someone on his team, maybe Teyla. Other than those times of stress John seemed to usually be in good spirits and happy with life on Atlantis.

The last member of the ream was the one that had caused her the greatest worry over the last three weeks. Rodney had always seemed to thrive on stress; he was sarcastic and terse on a daily basis but when the answers came to him he was loud and obnoxious in an amusing way. But lately he appeared to be in a bad mood constantly. He had withdrawn from his team and seemed to be actively avoiding her.

John's comment from earlier about Rodney suddenly struck her as funny. Every time Rodney said he had to be somewhere he always said his lab. She knew from his weekly reports he had not been working on anything specific in the last 4 weeks. She wondered what exactly he was working on in that lab of his.

Elizabeth made the decision to snoop around his lab without a lot of thought. She reasoned she was the commander of this little expedition and she had to make sure all her personnel were not working on dangerous things. You just never knew with this Ancient technology.

She made it to his lab in a few minutes, opened the door and looked around; it seemed he hasn't cleaned in a long time. He was not known for being exactly a neat freak but this was even beyond his usual standards. Papers strewn about, pieces of metal and other object lying in piles that seemed to have no logical order. Something was definitely up. Looking at his main work area she started to feel strange, like an adrenalin kick but better. It was a great feeling. She opened one of the drawers in the desk and found a glowing box. The feeling got stronger as she reached for the box. Placing it on the desk she looked at it and noticed faint writing that looked like the Ancient writing she had seen in the reports Rodney and the other scientists sent her on a weekly basis. The feeling of euphoria was growing stronger the longer she stood there. Suddenly she got a bad feeling and stepped back and away from the desk. The feeling diminished somewhat and the further she backed away the less the feeling became. Standing outside in the hallway she came to the conclusion that she had found the culprit of Rodney's strange behavior over the last few weeks.

"Dr Beckett, Dr Zelenka, please report to Dr McKay's lab. ASAP!"

The 2 doctors hurried up to Elizabeth as she was standing in the doorway looking at Rodney's desk. "There is a device on Rodney's desk. I don't know what the thing is but it makes you feel like it is the best feeling in the world, like some sort of drug. I think that's why Rodney has been acting so out of character in these last few weeks. We need to figure out how to turn it off and what it does to the body when it is functioning."

The doctors nodded and Carson led Elizabeth to the infirmary. He took some blood samples and then tried to make her stay in the infirmary to rest but she would have no part of that.

"I need to get back to the control room; I want to be there when Rodney gets back. I don't think he is going to take too well to finding out his box is gone."

"I would advise you not to say anything to him about it. Bring him down here and we'll take some blood and do some other tests. Based on your reaction alone I would say his body chemistry is seriously out of whack and he could get violent if he finds out his machine is not where he left it."

Elizabeth nodded and headed back to the control room. About an hour later the alarm came on for gate activation and she hurried down to the main floor after giving permission for the shield to be opened. The team seemed unharmed as they stepped through but she could tell from the looks on their faces that something was up.

"How did it go, Major?"

"Fine, Elizabeth. Except for Rodney doesn't seem to want to follow orders anymore and wandered off for 3 hours. He doesn't seem real interested in telling us where he was or what he was doing."

"I don't have to stand here and take this! I'll be in my lab if you have anymore stupid questions to ask me."

Elizabeth stepped in front of Rodney and stopped him from leaving. "I don't think so Rodney. I need to talk to you as we agreed before you left."

He didn't reply but instead shoved Elizabeth out of his way and made a move toward the hall leading to his lab; Ford caught her before she hit the ground.

"I'm sorry Rodney. Sgt, can you please escort Dr McKay to the infirmary."

"Is this really necessary Dr Weir?" Rodney asked condescendingly.

"I'm afraid so. Sgt, please take him now."

Rodney was led away by the Sgt and John turned to Elizabeth. "What was that all about?"

"We found a device he has been working on for the last month. It seems to act like a drug in the human body. Carson and Zelenka are looking at it right now and we should have the answers by tomorrow."

---------

Early the next morning Elizabeth sat at the conference table with John, Teyla, Ford, Carson and Zelenka.

"I ran some tests on Rodney's blood and found some amazing stuff. His hormone levels were off the charts. He was high in some areas and disturbing low in others. We had to keep him in restraints last night; I was afraid to give him anything to put him to sleep because of the strange level of chemicals in his blood. From the preliminary tests I have done and from what Dr Zelenka has told me about the device I would say Rodney has been addicted to this thing for the last 3 weeks or so."

"What does the device do Dr Zelenka?"

"I had never seen it before. Rodney must have found it somewhere in the city and kept it a secret all this time. I managed to turn the thing off but it took four of my team to figure it out. Someone would get transfixed by it and had to be relieved. It took 3 hours. Now, I'm not sure what the Ancients used it for but it seems a good bet it was a relaxation device of some sort."

Elizabeth nodded at Zelenka and turned to Carson. He continued the explanation. "I agree with him. From the readings I got it creates a hypnotic effect that makes the endorphin levels rise to unnaturally high levels. In the beginning of exposure it would create a sense of well being and a feeling of complete confidence in ones abilities; with prolonged exposure it might increase levels of anxiety and social disassociation. From the reports I have gotten from you and John this seems to be what happened in Rodney's case. I have a feeling the chemical differences between the two races may be what caused this."

Teyla asked, "How long until Rodney is returned to normal."

"Not long. This morning he was less combative and seemed to be calming down a great deal. By tomorrow he should be close to normal. I would say he should be ready for active duty within a week; until then he should stay out of his lab and away from any stress."

John and Elizabeth nodded. She had a feeling that would be easier said than done but she hoped between all of them they could keep him busy and out of trouble for the week.

"Can we see him?" John asked.

"Yes, but don't get him too excited."

"Thank you for your hard work on this Carson and you too Victor. I really appreciate it. I know Rodney does too, or he will eventually." Elizabeth said with a smile.

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Elizabeth walked into the infirmary about 2 hours later. By that time John, Teyla and Aiden had already been by to check on their teammate. She walked over to Rodney's bed and looked at him; he looked so sweet and innocent when he was sleeping. You would never know that a sarcastic, sweet pain in the butt lurked under that. She sat in the chair one of the others must have been using earlier and put her hand over his. He twitched but did not seem to wake up.

"I know you are faking, Rodney. I saw the twitch; you've been in the infirmary too many times trying to get out of shots for me to fall for that trick. I want to talk to you."

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at a point just past her shoulder. "Hello Elizabeth."

"Hi", she smiled at him. "Are you feeling better?"

"Sort of. I definitely feel more normal than I have in a while. The whole last month has been something of a blur."

"Carson said that might be one of the side effects of that thing."

"I'm sorry about yesterday, I don't remember much but I do remember pushing you. Are you ok?"

"Hey. I'm made of tougher stuff than that. You push like a girl."

"Wha... hey... I don't push like a girl. Carson says you were supposed to keep me calm, I'll report you."

"Empty threats." She said with a smile.

He smiled back and then sighed. "John and the rest of them were by earlier. They said I've been a pain in the ass these last few weeks. Although how that is different I'm not sure."

"You were definitely not your usual charming self; you had us worried. I'm just glad we found the cause."

"Yeah, I heard I have you to thank for that."

"Actually, you can thank my snooping."

"Well, whatever, thank you."

She nodded and noticed that he had turned his hand over and was now holding her hand. She squeezed it and then pulled it out of his hand. "I need to get back to work. I just wanted to make sure you were ok. I'll see you later and we'll talk some more."

He nodded. "Thanks for stopping by." His eyes followed her as she walked out of the room.

FIN

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AN: This one went on way longer than I had envisioned. Parts just kept popping up and then the characters just wanted to keep talking, I thought I would never get them to shut up. I kept getting stuck on this section so you will be happy to know that parts 3 and 4 are already written and will be put up within a few days. Hope you enjoyed. Comments and criticisms are always welcomed.


	3. Letters from Home Part 1a

Letters from Home - Part 1a  
By Karabdai

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Disclaimer: See part 1...

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It was that time again; the day the mail came was always a special day. The inhabitants of Atlantis gathered in the makeshift cafeteria and waited impatiently for the voice to come over the loudspeaker to call them to the gateroom for mail pickup. A letter or care package from home lifted the spirits of the folks who had been on Atlantis for 2 years. Most loved their jobs but it always felt nice to receive a little love from home; when the members of team had left for Atlantis they had instructed family and friends to send letters and care packages to a PO Box the SGC took care of. The first time the SGC had made contact they had sent through all the letters and care packages that had accumulated over the 8 months they had been out of contact. Ever since then they had regular contact with the SGC and regular deliveries were made every 3 months.

There was a crackling noise and Dr Weir's voice came over the speaker. "Attention please! We have a mail delivery for all personnel. Please head to the gateroom to receive your mail. Thanks for your patience."

Sheppard, Ford and Teyla were in the control room as Elizabeth made the announcement to the rest of the base. They had watched the delivery and been on hand for the report Elizabeth had given and watched as they had organized the packages for the easiest distribution. Elizabeth and Sheppard's team always got their mail last.

"Are you excited to be receiving mail, Aiden?" Teyla asked.

"Yeah, my grandparents said they were going to send me the latest Superman comics. I've been looking forward to that for quite a while."

"What are Superman comics?"

Sheppard cut in with his comment. "I don't know how you read those new comics, the classics are so much better."

"Now sir, the new Superman comics are far superior to...."

"Hey, have you seen Rodney? I have a report to give him." Elizabeth had walked up and cut off the Lieutenant before he could go on a long rant about comic books. She had heard these debates often enough over the months to stop them before they started.

"Haven't seen him, Elizabeth. I'll let him know you need him."

Elizabeth felt a slight flutter at his wording and pushed it away. She nodded at him. "Thanks John, I guess I better head down and help with the mail."

Sheppard nodded and turned back to Ford to continue their "discussion" about comics. Elizabeth headed down to the mail level and went to the pile of mail marked control room. That little flutter was coming more and more frequently now and she wasn't sure what to make of it. At first she thought it was from the MREs they sometimes ate to conserve food resources. But then the flutters had started every time someone mentioned Rodney. Something always seemed to come up and she never really had time to think about it or the inclination. She had been with Simon for so long it seemed unthinkable she might have some small feelings for some other man. Elizabeth put the flutters out of her mind.

She always looked forward to the letters she got from Simon, her parents, sister and a few of her colleagues from when she taught at the University. Her parents thought it was strange they only got a letter from her once every 3 months but Simon kept in touch with them so they never questioned her explanations. Letters from Simon were usually filled with how much he missed her and questions as to when she was coming back. The "when are you coming home" questions had started a year into the project and she was getting a little tired of them. She understood that he missed her but had thought he understood the great benefits to humanity this mission could bring and all that she was getting out of it. Nonetheless letters from home where very nice.

People had started to file into the gateroom by this time and were headed to their designated sections to pick up mail and packages. It was a good haul this time around and took 30 minutes to get everyone sorted out and back to their quarters and work stations with their new reading material.

Elizabeth grabbed the letters and the two packages that were addressed to her top team and dragged them back up to the control room where Ford and Sheppard were still arguing. The two packages were for Ford and Sheppard. She was slightly disappointed that she hadn't received a package from Simon. She had told him how much she looked forward to his packages; he had better have written an extra long letter to make up for this.

"I thought you guys would have come and gotten your mail by now."

"Sorry, we got sidetracked." Sheppard gave a dirty look to Ford and muttered, "Young uns." Ford was heard to mutter, "Old foggies."

"Here is your stuff, take it and get out of here." Elizabeth said with a shake of her head. "I'll take Rodney his when I find him about the report."

Sheppard grabbed the stack of mail and pulled out 4 letters and then grabbed one of the packages; Ford pulled the stack over to him and took 3 of the letters which left 5 in the pile and grabbed the other package. Teyla looked at the 2 men and took their arms and said, "Lets leave Elizabeth to read her letters in peace, you guys can show me all the things from Earth you were sent." She looked back at Elizabeth and winked as she led the 2 men off.

Elizabeth looked through the five letters that were sitting on the console in front of her; one from Simon, one from her parents, two from colleagues from the university and one from General O'Neill. She looked around the console and the table next to it. She was sure she had picked up Rodney's mail along with the rest of the team. Sheppard and the other two were still just inside the control room and she stopped them.

"Hey, can you two check to make sure you didn't accidentally grab Rodney's mail."

Both men looked at their envelopes and shook there heads. "Nope, just our stuff, Doc. Sorry." Elizabeth nodded at them and waved them off. Teyla looked back but Elizabeth just waved her off also. She looked down on the main level and saw that Peter was down with the last of the mail that had not been picked up because those people were off world or working in one of the labs.

"Peter, do you have Dr McKay's mail down there or did he pick it up already?"

"Let me take a look. I don't remember him picking up his mail down here. I thought I put team one's mail with yours and the rest of the personnel in the control room." He shuffled through the remaining letters and parcels and shook his head. "Nothing here for Dr McKay."

Elizabeth was perplexed now; she hated to tell Rodney she had lost his mail but there was nothing else for it. She took her letters, headed back to her office and sat at her desk. Now that she thought about it, it was strange that Rodney was not in the control room when they got the call from the SGC. He loved to be in the middle of the action and this was uncharacteristic for him to miss a chance to show off his new knowledge. Sometimes he got into arguments over the radio with Sam Carter about his new discoveries; Elizabeth often had to tell them to cut it short. She suspected that he wrote to Sam just to get into more arguments since they didn't have time over the wormhole. The thought of Sam and Rodney brought the flutters back and not in a good way.

Shaking off those thoughts Elizabeth got to her feet and headed toward Rodney's lab; she had some questions for the good doctor. She got to the door and knocked on the doorframe since the door was open. He seemed completely engrossed in something at his desk, but that was not unusual for him.

"Rodney, do you know what time it is?

Rodney jumped in his chair and spun around to face the door. "Elizabeth, you scared me. No, what time is it?"

"You missed the call from the SGC. I thought you had some things to report into them."

"I asked Zelenka to go in my place. I wanted to keep working on this. We found it last time out and it's really fascinating..."

"Yes, yes, I know you've told me about it." It was good to see him enthusiastic about stuff again. Previously he had seemed to sink into a depression. This had lasted for a month and if Elizabeth hadn't found the culprit, an Ancient device that was designed to be a relaxation device Rodney could have had permanent damage. That was three weeks ago. He had gotten better within a week and was back on duty terrorizing the others. Also, she knew that once he got started on an explanation he would be almost impossible to stop.

"Zelenka was there but I thought you liked to talk to them, plus you missed mail call."

"Oh, that." He turned back to his desk and fiddled with some of the wires that were sticking out of the object he was working with.

"Yes, that, I have some bad news. I seem to have misplaced your mail. I'm sure someone just picked it up by accident and they'll bring it to you as soon as they see they have it."

"Don't worry about it, Elizabeth." he said in a monotone voice.

Elizabeth nodded and looked at him. He sounded strange but she figured it was probably something to do with what he was working on. She was anxious to read her mail so she cut her visit short after relaying her news.

"See you at dinner then."

He nodded and went back to work.

TBC...

AN: part 1b will be up shortly. It just needed a few finishing touches. Hope you enjoyed this installment. Thanks to all my great reviewers; it always makes me smile to see the little bot say Review Alert. Thanks for all the encouragement!


	4. Letters from Home Part 1b

Letters from Home - Part 1b  
By Karabdai

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Disclaimer: See part 1...

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Dinner that night was MREs. Rodney was thrilled. Everyone else was tolerant; luckily they only had to eat the things twice a week. Elizabeth sat with Rodney, Sheppard and Teyla; Ford seemed to be off with one of female scientists.

Sheppard and Rodney were arguing about the next planet to go to.

"But I think we need to look at getting more trading partners so we have some options..."

"No, no, I'm tired of people using us for something and then cutting us loose when it serves them. I say we need to find more ZPMS to power the shields..."

"All right gentlemen, I think that's enough for one night. We can have this argument tomorrow at the staff meeting. Can't we have one meal were we eat like civilized human beings."

Both men look chastened but Teyla looked gratefully at Elizabeth.

"Did you receive news from Simon in your letters?" Teyla asked.

"Yes, he wrote a brief note. It was a bit disappointing but he said he had been busy and he would write more next month. He said my dog is doing fine and that's the important part, right?"

Teyla laughed and turned and asked Sheppard about his package.

Elizabeth looked at Rodney. "Did anyone ever bring you're your mail?"

Rodney shook his head and changed the subject. They talked about random pieces of gossip until they finished eating and then he said he had to go back to his lab. He got up from the table and after saying goodbye to Sheppard and Teyla left. Elizabeth turned to the other two and asked the question that had started plaguing her after Rodney avoided talking about the mail again.

"Have you ever seen Rodney get mail, John?"

"Now that you mention it, I've never seen him with mail while we've been at Atlantis. He changes the subject whenever I ask if he got any letters from his parents or Col Carter. Maybe he just likes reading them in private. He's afraid we'll ask about all his women."

Teyla smacked John on the arm. "Be nice to Rodney."

"Hey, that hurt!"

"Serves you right"

Elizabeth was staring off into space not paying attention to the other two. "I forgot to give him that report from earlier. I think I'll take it to him now." Elizabeth got up and walked out of the cafeteria.

"Teyla, my dear, have you noticed anything funny with our two favorite doctors lately."

"I have no comment on that subject, John. Don't you have reports to write?"

"Why would I want to do that when you are here to keep me busy?"

"I'm not going to cover for you with Elizabeth this time, go write your reports and then meet me on the balcony on level 2."

"Yes ma'am," he said with a smile.

---------

Elizabeth wandered back to Rodney's lab after a stop at her office to pick up the report she was using as an excuse to go see him. She wasn't looking too closely at why she needed an excuse to go see him. This whole thing was getting strange.

His lab door was open again and he was once again sitting playing with something on his table. "We should stop meeting like this." She said with a smile.

"At least you didn't send me through the roof this time. I thought I was going to have to find a bell to put around your neck so you couldn't sneak up on me anymore."

"I brought you the report you needed for team 3. I've been meaning to give it to you all day but it kept slipping my mind."

"Thanks."

"So, I have a question."

"Well it's good to have questions, it makes you look smart."

"Ha ha, Mr. smart aleck. My question is about the mail."

"Do I look like the mailman? What is it with you and the mail?"

"Well, I just wanted to make sure everyone got their mail. It seems like a great moral booster."

"Yes, yes, great moral boost. So who did you get mail from?"

"Rodney, why do you change the subject every time someone brings up you getting mail?"

"I don't know what you are talking about. I don't change the subject, it just doesn't interest me."

"Now that's an interesting statement. Not interesting. Any particular reason you aren't interested in the mail?"

"Are you my shrink? I think you are unhealthily interested in the mail. Go read yours and leave me alone."

"Rodney, when was the last time you got a letter?"

There was silence for a few seconds. He huffed and said, "Fine, fine, my secret is out. I have gotten no mail. I have never received a letter while we've been on Atlantis. Happy!"

After an appalled silence Elizabeth asked. "Don't you get letters from your parents?"

"No. They think I am still in Russia, they didn't send mail then, why would it change. We have a strict policy of exchanging cards only on Christmas and birthdays, I guess they thought I was clinging too much and cut back."

Elizabeth didn't know what to say to that revelation so she asked the next question.

"I thought you got letters from Col Carter?"

"Sam? She's been busy with SG1 and that guy Pete, I heard through the grapevine. We talk over the radio and that's fine."

Elizabeth noticed he didn't seem too heartbroken about that and that caused her to feel slightly better. No, she wasn't going there.

"I don't really miss not getting letters. Everyone I used to work with are idiots and I had lost touch with all my friends from college. I just didn't like the funny looks I was starting to get when we had mail call so I bailed on this one. I figured on the off chance I did get a letter someone would drop it by later."

"I don't know what to say, Rodney."

"See, now you are giving me that look, it's not a big deal. Leave it alone!"

"But..."

"No, Elizabeth, its fine... did you need anything else."

She shook her head and said, "Well I better get going. See you in the morning, don't stay up too late."

Rodney smiled and said goodnight.

---------

The revelation about Rodney's mail situation did not sit well with Elizabeth. She felt mail was an important part of moral on this base and no one should do with out it. At least that was what she told herself. The flutters were back and no matter how hard she thought they would not go away. She sat on her bed and pulled a pen and paper onto her lap.

After about 20 minutes she finished and with a smile got up and put it in an envelope to be delivered in the morning.

---------

"Dr McKay, this came letter is for you."

"Letter, what letter?"

"I don't know, I was just told to make sure you got this first thing this morning."

"Thanks, Sgt." Rodney took the letter. It didn't have a post mark on it so it wasn't from earth and he couldn't imagine anyone sending him a letter here. He opened and looked at the signature. Lizzie? He started at the top.

"_Dear Rodney, _

_I hope this letter finds you well and in good spirits. Things here have been crazy. Do you know how hard it is to keep the peace in a community of strong minded scientists and military personnel? Sometimes I just want to crack heads together but then someone comes up with a solution that makes everyone happy. Normally it's one of the scientists. He is a real pain sometimes but is one of the most brilliant men I have ever met. He comes up with these mad schemes but they seem to work out. _

_ I have really enjoyed my time here. People have been very nice but I don't think too many of them are comfortable enough with me to become friends. That is probably for the best as I have to keep command. But there are a few people who I consider friends. That scientist guy is one. Anytime I have a problem or a concern about the base he always listens to me ramble on and gives advice when I ask for it and sometimes when I don't. If it wasn't for him my time here would be very lonely._

_ I hope you are getting enough rest. I remember that you used to never sleep. You would stay up nights and just play with your toys. You need to get more sleep. _

_ I promise to be better about writing you while you are gone. Never forget how important you are to the members of your team and to me. Stay safe._

_Your friend_

_Lizzie_

_PS- If you ever call me Lizzie to my face you are in for it!"_

Rodney read the letter twice to make sure of what he was reading. At first he thought Elizabeth was playing some sort of joke on him but after reading the letter again she seemed to be telling him in her own weird way that she cared about his mental health. He always knew she cared about him as a member of the team; she was a good friend to him and he appreciated her. He never knew though she valued his friendship that much; they talked but there were thoughts in the letter that she had never shared before. He appreciated the gesture he decided.

He folded the letter back up and put it in the top of his desk. Maybe mail wasn't overrated.

FIN

AN: So that ends this part. Never fear the next part is set to roll out in a few days. I think we are headed for some good stuff in the next couple of chapters. But just to warn you, it is one step forward two steps back for our favorite pair. Leave your comments on the way out, please. Thanks!


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